A transgender teen who was born male but insists he is a female, cried foul last week when all-female Smith College twice rejected his application for admission to the institution because of his male genitalia.

The teen, Calliope Wong, 17, a senior at Amity Regional Senior High School in Connecticut, took to his blog last summer when Smith first declined his application because he isn't biologically a female. In order to be recognized as a female, Wong must first perform gender reassignment surgery, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

But in a defiant and seemingly quixotic appeal on his blog, Wong railed against the school's rejection and incorrectly identifies himself as a transexual girl. A transexual is a person who has undergone gender reassignment surgery, which Wong has yet to do. more >>

As it prepares to vote on its ban of openly gay members in May, the Boy Scouts of America youth organization recently rejected an application for troop sponsorship by the Utah Pride Center, an LGBT advocacy group based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Boy Scouts of America said in statement to multiple media outlets that it is currently focusing on an "internal discussion about its membership standards," and did not believe the Utah Pride Center's chartering of a troop would be beneficial to the organization.

"The BSA is engaged in an internal discussion about its membership standards policy and is working to stay focused on Scouting's mission," Deron Smith, public relations director for the century-old youth organization, said in an emailed statement to The Salt Lake Tribune. more >>

Volunteers from around the world are joining Franklin Graham and his organization Samaritan's Purse on Saturday in Orlando to celebrate a major milestone for Operation Christmas Child – reaching 100 million children in need with gift-filled shoe boxes since 1993.

Graham, the son of renowned evangelist Billy Graham, told The Christian Post on Monday that he really didn't have a "vision" to help children globally by delivering shoe boxes filled with gifts.

"It was just one guy who gave me a call 20 years ago and he said, 'I'm taking some gifts over to Bosnia. Do you want to help me?' I said sure," Graham explained. more >>

Boston College, a Jesuit, Catholic university located in Chestnut Hill, Mass., is currently working to stop the distribution of condoms and other "safe sex" materials on campus, arguing that the promotion of contraceptive use interferes with the university's religious values.

"The distribution of condoms is not congruent with our values and traditions," Boston College's Dean of Students Paul Chebator and Director of Residence Life George Arey said in a March 15 email to students, according to NBC News.

"We do need to advise you that should we receive any reports that you are, in fact, distributing condoms on campus, the matter would be referred to the student conduct office for disciplinary action by the university," the email continued, adding that the university has a "responsibility to protect the values and traditions of Boston College as a Jesuit, Catholic institution." more >>

A provocative new line of Victoria's Secret lingerie targeting teenage girls called "Bright Young Things" has drawn the ire of a Texas pastor and concerned parents who feel the line is inappropriate.

A 16-second video advertising the line on YouTube shows rail thin young models frolicking on a beach wearing what the ad suggests are "spring break must-haves."

The line which was launched as a sub-brand of Victoria's Secret called "Pink" earlier this month, features underwear with the words "call me" printed on the front or "wild" on the back. Victoria's Secret is produced by a company called Limited Brands. more >>

An Alabama elementary school is banning the word Easter from campus activities because the principal said that even secular symbols such as the Easter bunny relate too closely to religion and would not only offend someone but do something even more serious.

"Kids love the bunny and we just try to make sure that we don't say the 'Easter' bunny so that we don't infringe upon the rights of others because people relate the Easter bunny to religion," said Principal Lydia Davenport of Heritage Elementary School in Madison, Ala.

Davenport informed teachers on Monday (March 25) that the school's plans to have an "academic egg hunt" for kindergarten and second grade students would have to be cancelled. Instead, teachers are being asked to use something else besides eggs and to not mention the word "Easter," according to local news reports. more >>